Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to athletic training devices, specifically to a weighted athletic training glove.
Description of the Related Art
Sports-specific training involves developing physical characteristics, such as strength, flexibility, stamina and coordination, to improve an athletes performance and skills at a particular sport. Examples include increasing arm strength for tennis of baseball, or improving strength and core stability for better balance playing golf. Other examples include improving hand-eye coordination for catching passes in football, or dribbling and catching a basketball.
Some improvements have been made in the field. Examples of references related to the present invention are described below in their own words, and the supporting teachings of each reference are incorporated by reference herein:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,123, issued to Fabry, discloses a weighted exercise garment, particularly a glove having one or more elastic pockets on the outside thereof on a back portion of the glove which covers the back of the hand. One or more weights are inserted into the elastic pockets in order to change the total weight of the exercise glove, and can be secured in the pockets. A further aspect of the present invention relates to an exercise garment having a unique closure utilizing releasable contact fasteners, which closure functions to secure the weights in the pockets and secure the garment to the wearer's body. In a preferred embodiment, a row of pockets is employed, and the closure is used to simultaneously open or close all of the pockets. The invention is advantageous in that it allows the wearer to conveniently change the amount of weight carried in the exercise garment.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,354,385, issued to Virji et al., discloses various systems, methods, devices, etc. for simulating obesity and enhancing caloric expenditure in daily activities are provided. One embodiment is a device for wearing over a body joint to simulate obesity and enhance caloric expenditure in daily activities. One such device comprises a distally/proximally-weighted sleeve joint.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,908,672, issued to Butler, discloses a glove includes a glove body including opposing dorsal and palmar side panels, opposing proximal and distal ends, a wrist portion formed in the proximal end, and finger stalls formed in the distal end. An elongate strap has an inner end secured to the wrist portion of the glove body and an opposed free outer end, and a plurality of weight-receiving pockets formed in the elongate strap between the inner end of the elongate strap and the outer end of the elongate strap. Corresponding engagement and complemental engagement elements are carried by the elongate strap. The elongate strap is movable between a first position extending away from the wrist portion and a second position wrapped about the wrist portion engaging the engagement element to the complemental engagement element securing the elongate strap in the second position.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No.: 2006/0272072, by Murphy, discloses an article of manufacture, more specifically, a basketball training glove, with a primary element that is a physical aid to train and reinforce proper ball handling technique, such as an element in the palm of the glove that makes it impossible for a ball handler to palm a basketball, enforcing the use of the finger tips for proper ball control, and another primary element of the glove with optional weights for resistance training for the purpose of building power and speed into the hands, wrists, and arms, the advantage of the current invention being that it provides for fingertip ball control and weight resistance training at the same time and incorporates both features into one pair of basketball training gloves.
The inventions heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages which include one or more of, but not limited to, being limited in use, being limited in application, being too bulky, being difficult to use, being limited in flexibility, being limited in athletic training, failing to strengthen grip, damaging furniture, not being safe, not increasing skill in gripping sports objects, strengthening only the wrist, being expensive, being inconvenient, and being difficult to apply or use.
What is needed is a glove that solves one or more of the problems described herein and/or one or more problems that may come to the attention of one skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with this specification.